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"I Believe...in the Resurrection of the Flesh" (an article from the
Christian Research Journal, Summer 1989, page 20) by Norman L.
Geisler.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is Elliot
Miller.
-------------
Down through the centuries orthodox Christians have always
confessed with the Apostles' Creed: "I believe...in the
resurrection of the flesh." This affirmation of faith in the
_believer's_ resurrection is grounded in faith in _Christ's_
resurrection. A major purpose of the latter resurrection was to
make possible the former; thus they are both of the _same nature_
(2 Cor. 4:14; 1 Cor. 15:20-23, 48; Phil. 3:21). The two doctrines
are therefore interdependent, and will be treated as one doctrine
in this article.
In spite of the historic church's unwavering belief in the
resurrection of the flesh, there are those today who call
themselves "orthodox" but do not adhere to the doctrine. In the
past, those who deviated from this venerable truth of apostolic
Christianity did so by denying the _reality_ of the resurrection.
Today, some veer from course by denying its _materiality._ What
makes their view unique is that they affirm an "empty tomb" while
ironically denying that a material body emerged from it. In short,
while they deny the materiality of the Resurrection they confess
its objectivity, and on the basis of this confession they conclude
that their faith remains biblical.
Wolfhart Pannenburg is a case in point. He believes Jesus left
an empty tomb behind but that the resurrection body was by nature
invisible and immaterial. He declares that for Paul "the future
body will be a different one from the present body, not a fleshly
body -- as he says -- a 'spiritual body.'"[1] Southern Baptist
professor E. Glenn Hinson agrees, adding, "Paul was convinced that
the Christ who appeared to him belonged to another order of
existence than the Christ the disciples had known in the flesh. The
risen Christ has not a physical but a spiritual body."[2] Professor
Murray Harris of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School provides yet
another example. He argues "that after his resurrection his
[Jesus'] essential state was one of invisibility and
immateriality."[3] He adds that the resurrection body of Christians
"will be neither fleshly nor _fleshy_"[4] (emphasis added).
According to this view, Jesus' resurrection body was not the same
physical body He had before His death, but a _second embodiment._
Why should these men be classified as "unorthodox" for simply
denying that Jesus rose in the _same_ physical body in which He
died? Why did Jesus have to rise in the flesh, as long as His tomb
was vacated and death was conquered? The answer to these questions
has both historical and theological components.
*THE CONFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH*
First, the confession of the Christian church is instructive.
The church has not only always affirmed the _immortality_ of the
resurrection body, but also its _materiality._ While it has agreed
with the apostle that the resurrection body is a "spiritual" (i.e.,
spirit-directed) body (1 Cor. 15:44), it has never denied that it
is a material body.
*The Apostolic Testimony*
The Christian church has from the beginning confessed that the
same physical body of flesh that was laid in Jesus' tomb was raised
immortal. This belief is based on several explicit New Testament
references and extensive tangible evidence. Jesus Himself said His
resurrection body was one of "flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39; cf.
13:37). Speaking of the resurrection of Christ, Peter insisted that
His "flesh did not see corruption" (Acts 2:31). Writing after the
Resurrection, John declared that Jesus "came [and remained] in the
flesh" (1 John 4:2; cf. 2 John 7). The body that emerged from the
tomb on Easter morning was _seen_ (Matt. 28:17), _heard_ (John
20:15-16), and even _touched_ (Matt. 28:9) on many occasions after
the Resurrection. Moreover, Jesus ate food at least four times
after the Resurrection (Luke 24:30; 24:42-43; John 21:12-13; Acts
1:4). He also showed His crucifixion scars on two occasions, once
challenging doubting Thomas: "Put your finger here; see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and
believe" (John 20:27).
*The "Ante-Nicene" Testimony*
Following the apostolic testimony, the church down through the
centuries has confessed its belief in "the resurrection of the
flesh" -- both that of Jesus in particular and of humanity in
general. "Ante-Nicene" (i.e., before the 325 A.D. Council of Nicea)
father Justin Martyr (A.D. 100-165) said plainly: "The resurrection
is a resurrection of the flesh which dies."[5] As for those who
"maintain that even Jesus Himself appeared only as spiritual, and
not in flesh, but presented merely the appearance of flesh: these
persons seek to rob the flesh of the promise."[6] Justin even
insisted that Christ's ascension shows that it is possible "for
flesh to ascend into heaven."[7] Tertullian (c. A.D. 160-230)
declared the resurrection of the flesh to be the church's "rule of
faith," saying it "was taught by Christ" and only denied by
heretics.[8] In his treatise on "The Resurrection of the Dead" (ch.
3), second century Christian teacher Athenagoras concluded that
God's "power is sufficient for the raising of dead bodies, and is
shown by the creation of these same bodies. For if, when they did
not exist, He made at their first formation the bodies of men, and
their original elements, He will, when they are dissolved, in
whatever manner that may take place, raise them again with equal
ease: for this, too, is equally possible to Him."[9]
*The "Post-Nicene" Testimony*
In the fourth century, _The Second Creed of Epiphanius_ (A.D.
374) confessed that "the Word became flesh,...the same suffered in
the flesh; rose again; and went up to heaven in the same body;...is
coming in the same body in glory to judge the quick and the
dead."[10] Cyril of Jerusalem (A.D. 315-386) considered any view
heretical that claims "the resurrection of the Saviour was
phantom-wise, and not real, not heeding Paul who says, 'Who was
made flesh of the seed of David according to the flesh;' and again
'By the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead.'"[11]
The preeminent theologian, St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430), declared:
"It is indubitable that the resurrection of Christ, and His
ascension into heaven with the flesh in which He rose, is already
preached and believed in the whole world." Augustine even held that
God would reassemble in the resurrection body "all the portions
which have been consumed by beasts or fire, or have been dissolved
into dust of ashes...."[12]
*The Medieval Testimony*
St. Anselm of Cantebury (A.D. 1033-1109) insisted on the
material nature of the resurrection body. Speaking on the topic,
"How man will rise with the same body which he has in this world,"
he argued that "if a man is to be perfectly restored, the
restoration should make him such as he would have been had he never
sinned....Therefore, as man, had he not sinned, was to have been
transformed with the same body to an immortal state, so when he
shall be restored, it must properly be with his own body as he
lived in this world."[13] The great theologian, Thomas Aquinas
(A.D. 1224-1274), said of the resurrection: "The soul does not take
an airy or heavenly body, or a body of another organic
constitution, but a human body composed of flesh and bones and the
same members enjoyed at present."[14]
*The Reformation Testimony*
The Protestant Reformation continued the orthodox affirmation
of the material nature of the resurrection body. The Lutheran
_Formula of Concord_ (A.D. 1576) reads: "We believe, teach, and
confess...the chief articles of our faith (of Creation, of
Redemption, of Sanctification, and the Resurrection of the
flesh)...."[15] The _French Confession of Faith,_ prepared with the
help of John Calvin and approved by the Synod of Paris (A.D. 1559),
pronounced that "although Jesus Christ, in rising from the dead,
bestowed immortality upon his body, yet it did not take away from
the truth of its nature, and we so consider him in his divinity
that we do not despoil him of his humanity."[16] _The Belgic
Confession_ (A.D. 1561), adopted by the Synod of Dort (A.D. 1619),
declares that "all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and
their soul joined and united with their proper bodies in which they
formerly lived."[17] Further, the _Thirty Nine Articles of Religion
of the Church of England_ (A.D. 1562) confess that "Christ did
truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh,
bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's
nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven...."[18] And the
_Westminster Confession_ (A.D. 1647) proclaimed that Jesus "was
crucified, and died; was buried, and remained under the power of
death, yet saw no corruption. On the third day he arose from the
dead, with the same body in which he suffered; with which he
ascended into heaven...."[19]
Even some who deny that Christ rose in the flesh admit that
"until the time of the Reformation the creeds of the West spoke
only of the resurrection of the flesh."[20]
*THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH*
Having examined the historical evidence, we must now turn to
the theological question: What difference does it make whether
Christ arose in the same body of flesh in which He lived and died?
The New Testament's response is clear and unequivocal. Without
Christ's physical resurrection there is no salvation (Rom. 10:9),
for the Resurrection is at the very heart of the gospel by which we
are saved (1 Cor. 15:1-5). The apostle Paul listed a litany of
consequences that follow a denial of the physical resurrection. If
Christ did not rise, then :1) Our faith is useless; 2) We are still
in our sins; 3) Our departed loved ones are lost; 4) The apostles
are false witnesses; and 5) We are the most to be pitied of all men
(1 Cor. 15:14-19).
In addition to this sobering list of dire results for denying
the literal resurrection, there are some crucial theological
problems that follow failure to join the apostolic confession of
"the resurrection of the flesh."
*The Problem of Creation*
God created the material universe (Gen. 1:1) and pronounced it
"very good" (v. 31). Sin, however, brought death and decay to God's
creation: "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through
sin, and in this way death came to all men...." (Rom. 5:12).
Furthermore, because of man's sin "the creation was subjected to
frustration...." (Rom. 8:20). Thus, the creation has been groaning
and waiting "to be liberated from its bondage to decay" (v. 21).
Likewise, believers "wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved" (vv.
23-24).
Since God's material creation fell, it is clear that in order
for redemption to be effective it must restore this material
creation. Humans sin and die in material bodies and they must be
redeemed in the same physical bodies. Any other kind of deliverance
would be an admission of defeat. Likewise, just as the world God
created and which subsequently fell was material, even so God will
eventually deliver this material universe from decay by recreating
a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1-4). If redemption does not
restore God's physical creation, including our material bodies,
then God's original purpose in creating a material world would be
frustrated. As Professor Robert Gundry aptly noted, "Anything less
than that undercuts Paul's ultimate intention that redeemed man
possess physical means of concrete activity for eternal service and
worship of God in a restored creation." So, "to dematerialize
resurrection, by any means, is to emasculate the sovereignty of God
in both creative purpose and redemptive grace."[21]
*The Problem of the Incarnation*
The denial that Christ came in human flesh is called docetism.
Hence, the denial that He rose in human flesh is a kind of
neodocetism. Both diminish the full humanity of Christ, one
_before_ and the other _after_ His resurrection. A similar
doctrinal deviation existed in the first century. John addressed it
when he warned against those who deny that 'Jesus Christ has come
[and remains] in the flesh' (1 John 4:2). The use of the perfect
participle ("has come") implies that Jesus came in the flesh in the
past and He remained in the flesh when John penned these words
after the Resurrection. In the parallel passage (2 John 7) John
used the present tense, warning against those "who do not
acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh." This makes it
even clearer that John considered it wrong to deny flesh of Christ
either _before_ or _after_ His resurrection. The reason is obvious:
human flesh is part of our true human nature as God created it.
Hence, to deny that Christ was resurrected in human flesh is to
deprive Him of full humanity.
*The Problem of Salvation*
Among other things, salvation is victory over death (1 Cor.
15:54-55). Since the death which resulted from sin directly
involved the material body, the body that is raised again must be
material for there to be real victory over death. Failure to
confess that Christ rose in a material body undercuts the very
gospel itself.
In his definitive work on the nature of "body" (Greek: _soma_)
in the New Testament, Professor Gundry noted that unless Christ
rose in the same physical body in which He died, then "the
relationship of the two bodies to each other is extrinsic and to
that degree unimpressive as a demonstration of Christ's victory
over death."[22] Hence, "the resurrection of Christ was and the
resurrection of Christians will be physical in nature."[23]
Anything less undercuts God's redemptive purposes for the human
race.
*The Problem of Deception*
There is also a serious moral problem. Some claim that Christ's
appearances were merely "materializations" aimed at convincing the
disciples of His _reality_ but not His _materiality._ But Jesus
said: "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and
see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have"
(Luke 24:27). Jesus challenged Thomas to put his finger into the
scar in His hand and to put his hand into the wound in His side and
"stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27).
Given the identity of the scars with His preresurrection body,
the only impression these words could have left on the disciples'
minds was that Jesus was claiming to have resurrected in the same
literal, material body in which He died. However, if He did not
rise in this physical body, He was intentionally misleading His
disciples. In short, either Jesus rose in the same material body in
which He died, or else He lied.
*The Problem of Immortality*
A denial of the material nature of the resurrection body is
fatal for Christian immortality. Unlike the ancient Greeks,
Christians believe true immortality involves the _whole_ person,
including the body; not just the continuing existence of the soul.
But if Christ did not rise in the same physical body in which He
died, then we have no real hope that we will ever attain true
immortality either. Paul declared that Christ "has brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10). It is only
through Christ's victory over physical death that believers can
proclaim: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your
sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55). Otherwise, as Paul informed the
Corinthians, "if Christ has not been raised...those who have fallen
asleep in Christ are lost" (1 Cor. 15:18).
*The Problem of Verification*
A nonmaterial resurrection has no evidential value. If Christ
did not rise in the same material body placed in the tomb, then the
Resurrection loses its value as an evidence for His claim to be
God. However, Jesus often offered His resurrection as a proof of
His claims (John 2:19-22; 10:18). On one occasion He offered it as
the unique sign of who He is, declaring that no other sign would be
given to that unbelieving generation (Matt. 12:40).
The apostles also offered Jesus' resurrection appearances as
"many convincing proofs" (Acts 1:3). They used the Resurrection as
the basis of their fearless preaching of Christ over and over again
(Acts. 2:22-36; 4:2,10; 13:32-41; 17:1-4,22-31). Paul told the
philosophers of his day that God "has given proof...to all men by
raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
There is a very good reason for this repeated connection
between the fact of the physical resurrection and the truth of
Christianity: there is no real evidential difference between an
immaterial resurrection and no resurrection at all. An immaterial
body has no verifiable connection with a material body. The only
objective way the world could know that Christ rose was if He rose
in the same material body in which He died. As the poet John Updike
powerfully stated,
Make no mistake; if He rose at all
it was as His body,
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the
molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fail.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Geisler is Dean of the Liberty Center for Research and
Scholarship and Professor of Philosophy of Religion at Liberty
University, Lynchburg, Virginia. He is the author of nearly 30
books, including the forthcoming _The Battle for the Resurrection_
(Thomas Nelson Publishers).
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*NOTES*
1 Wolfhart Pannenburg, _Jesus -- God and Man,_ 2d ed., trans.
Lewis L. Wilkins and Duane A. Priebe, (Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press, 1977), 75.
2 E. Glenn Hinson, _Jesus Christ_ (Wilmington: Consortium Books,
1977), 111.
3 Murray Harris, _Raised Immortal_ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985),
53.
4 _Ibid.,_ 124.
5 Justin Martyr, _Fragments of the Lost Work of Justin on the
Resurrection,_ ch. 10. (All citations from the Ante-Nicene and
Post-Nicene fathers can be found in Alexander Roberts and James
Donaldson, eds., _The Ante-Nicene Fathers,_ vols. 1-14 [Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985], and Philip Schaff
and Henry Wace, eds., _Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,_ First
Series, vols. 1-14; Second Series, vols. 1-14 [Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983]).
6 _Ibid.,_ ch. 2.
7 _Ibid.,_ ch. 9.
8 Tertullian, _The Prescription Against Heretics,_ ch. 13.
9 Athenagoras, _The Resurrection of the Dead._
10 Philip Schaff, ed., _The Creeds of Christendom,_ 6th ed., vol.
2 (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983), 37.
11 _Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures,_ XIV, 21.
12 Augustine, _The City of God,_ Book 12, ch. 5.
13 Anselm of Cantebury, _Curus Deus Homo,_ Book 2, ch. 3, in _St.
Anselm: Basic Writings,_ 2d ed., trans. S. N. Deane (La Salle:
Open Court, 1962), 241.
14 Thomas Aquinas, _Compendium of Theology,_ 153, in _Saint Thomas
Aquinas Philosophical Texts,_ selected and trans. Thomas Gilby
(London: Oxford University Press, 1964), 278. See also
_III Summa Contra Gentiles,_ 79, in _Saint Thomas Aquinas
Theological Texts,_ selected and trans. Thomas Gilby (Durham:
The Labyrinth Press, 1982), 405.
15 Schaff, _The Creeds of Christendom,_ 98.
16 _Ibid.,_ 368-69.
17 _Ibid.,_ 434.
18 _Ibid.,_ 489.
19 _Ibid.,_ 621.
20 Harris, 132.
21 Robert Gundry, _Soma in Biblical Theology_ (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1976), 176,181-82.
22 _Ibid._ 176.
23 _Ibid._ 182.
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End of document, CRJ0056A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"I Believe...in the Resurrection of the Flesh"
release A, April 15, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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